


Courtship Rituals

by ximeria



Category: X-Men (Comicverse)
Genre: First Time, Fluff, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-05-14
Updated: 2006-05-14
Packaged: 2017-10-21 16:38:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/227323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ximeria/pseuds/ximeria
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Remy knows better than to fall for a team-mate. Really, he does.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Courtship Rituals

**Author's Note:**

> Started this quite a while back, only to have the muses abandon me in my hour of need. I can forgive them much, as long as they return *g* -- as usual the few non-english terms used are translated if you hover the mouse over it.
> 
> Thanks to Ailaois for her beta, even if this isn't her fandom. And because without her, the French would be truly 'orrible' (don't blame the phonetic use of Remy's accent on anyone but me and the variety of writers on Marvel -- I swear, they taught me the bad accent).

**PART I - Realization**

"Come now, Robert. Time for bed." Hank's voice was filled with good-natured humor and Remy looked over the banister to see what was going on. He wasn't sure if he wanted to get involved -- in whatever it might be. He preferred his solitude and whatever his teammates were up to, he wasn't interested.

It looked, however, as if Hank was having trouble closing the front door while keeping Drake on his feet.

No, he wasn't going to get involved. Drake mostly avoided him and Remy was courteous enough to do the same. It wasn't that they disliked each other, they just didn't have all that much in common. Since Drake tended to avoid him, who was he to intrude?

"Say, Remy. Could you give a fellow X-man a hand?" Hank raised his voice a little.

Merde... busted.

With an internal sigh, Remy turned and went back down the stairs to the front door. "Hank?"

"I seem to be in need of a little help," Hank said with a small smile. "Would you make sure that Robert here gets to his room while I go take care of the car?"

Remy lifted an eyebrow.

"We had a little... accident, didn't we, Robert?" Hank gave his friend a fond but exasperated smile.

"Said I was sorry," Drake muttered, making a disgusted face.

"I believe your rooms are on the same floor, so please?" Hank's wide grin was a little toothy for Remy's liking, but he figured it couldn't hurt being on the doctor's good side.

"Come on, Drake," Remy said with a sigh as he put an arm around Drake's waist to steady him. "Let's do as de good doctor says."

Drake muttered something inaudible that Remy didn't even try to decipher. "Room's spinning," Drake mumbled as they stumbled up the stairs.

"Dat's because you're stinkin' drunk, mon ami," Remy said with a small grin.

Drake just grunted, the arm he'd slung over Remy's neck tightening a little "That would explain it."

"You gon' be sick?" Remy asked, eyeing the other man suspiciously.

"Don't think so. Why? You wanna get me a bucket?" Drake turned his head a little, blinking sleepily at Remy, his breath thick with alcohol.

"Non, I was planning on gettin' out of de way," Remy admitted cheerily.

"Hah, hah, always the funny one," Drake snorted, stumbling a little over the last step.

"Non, dat'd be your job," Remy said, steering Drake toward his room.

"Just keep 'em coming, Thief," Drake said with a small grin.

Remy tightened his own arm around Drake's waist. Just to steady him, of course.

"I thought you were pretty light on your feet," Drake snorted. "You can't even walk in a straight line!"

Remy ignored the comment and leaned Drake against the wall next to his door. Of course the door was locked. Neither jacket pocket yielded the key.

"You're getting a mite personal there," Drake slurred.

"Need your key, or do you wan' me to break de lock?" Remy asked with more than a little annoyance. This was not how he'd wanted to spend the evening.

"Mmmm, left jeans pocket, I think," Drake said with a frown.

And of course the man was wearing nearly skin-tight jeans. Remy took a deep breath and fished the key out of the pocket, feeling Drake's giggles shaking the heavy body and trying to ignore the scorching heat down inside the pocket.

Keeping Drake pinned against the wall with his hip, Remy worked the key into the lock.

"I thought you were this great thief, burglar, whatever," Drake whispered hotly into Remy's ear, making him shiver.

"I don' normally 'ave dead weight along," Remy snorted. Pushing the door open he maneuvered Drake inside, pushing him toward the bed. "T'ink you can 'andle getting to bed?"

"Why, Mr. Lebeau, are you prop... prepo..." Drake scrunched his face up into the stupidest look of concentration that Remy had ever seen. "Are you propositioning me?" he finally got out, looking rather triumphantly at Remy.

"You're drunk," Remy told him in a level voice as he pushed him down on the bed. "I don' take advantage of drunks."

"Awww **man** ," Drake said with a pout. "Does that mean I gotta sleep alone?"

Remy rolled his eyes. "I'm glad you don' drink more often, mon ami," he said as he went into the bathroom, grabbing the cup by the mirror to fill it with cold water. He wasn't even sure why he was doing this. Drake deserved a hangover. A big one.

Walking back into the bedroom he found Drake where he'd left him, although this time he was flat on his back, looking comatose.

"Come on," Remy said gruffly as he put the cup on the bedside table. He pulled Drake's boots off, unbuttoned the jeans and manhandled him until he could get the shirt off. All the while he told himself he was doing it to make Drake comfortable.

Because he sure wasn't looking.

"Drake!" Remy shook the other man lightly, the brownish blond bangs falling down over the closed eyes. "Drake!" he repeated a little louder.

"Hmmm?!" The dazed blue eyes opened a little.

"Drink de water, it'll ease de 'angover," Remy said in a low voice.

Wonder of wonders, Drake accepted the cup, draining it in one go. "Thanks," he muttered.

"You're welcome," Remy said, pushing away the thought that he'd never seen Drake this vulnerable. And quite so approachable...

"Messed everything up," Drake muttered. "You did...." The words were barely audible, but Remy caught them nevertheless. They stopped him in his tracks, his heart sinking. Ah, now that Drake wasn't aware, now that he was drunk, he'd tell Remy what he thought about him. Not that he had to. There were reasons why he kept to himself, after all. He'd never played all that well with others. Partly by choice.

"Thief. Stole it all."

Remy frowned. What had he stolen? Sure, he'd stolen this or that, or he wouldn't be a thief, but...

"My heart, my soul... my sanity..."

Remy's breath caught in his throat. He had to be hearing things, because Drake had never **ever** shown any inclinations of... Shaking his head he looked down at the other man who'd fallen asleep, mouth open and snoring lightly.

Taking a deep breath, Remy decided he didn't have much else to do than tuck Drake in and go to his own room. He'd told the truth. He'd never take advantage of someone so drunk as Drake. And a team-mate... No... he wouldn't make that mistake again.

His better judgment told him to never go down that road again.

Remy pulled the blanket up over Drake's limp body, then impulsively leaned down and pressed his dry lips to Drake's forehead.

Maybe he could make an effort one of these days and actually talk to the guy. He wasn't half bad and Remy figured whatever spark he'd felt with Drake's body draped all over his, it was just because he hadn't gotten laid in ages.

Yeah, just needy.

  


* * *

**PART II - Reading the signs**

Remy headed for the front door, then stopped, backtracked and check the TV room. "Drake."

Drake turned his head so fast Remy wondered if he'd gotten a whiplash. "Yeah?"

Remy hid a grin. "I'm gonna hit town for a few t'ings," he said evenly. "Wanna tag along?"

Confusion and apprehension crossed Drake's face, which then faded into a calm facade. "Not sure I need anything, but thanks for asking."

"Ah, okay," Remy said with a nod. "Well, I'm gon' go pick something for 'Roro's birthday." With that he turned around and headed for the door again. Well, it had been his intention to see if Drake was interested in spending some time with him -- alone. Guess he had his answer now.

"Hey, Lebeau!" The call rang through the hallway and Remy was amused to see more than a few students' heads turning at the sound.

Remy schooled his features into a pleasant mask and turned around. "Oui?"

Drake was standing in the doorway to the TV room, looking a little ill at ease. "I'd kinda forgotten about that," Drake admitted sheepishly. "You really want me along?"

Remy raised an eyebrow. "I don' go 'round makin' offers like dat if I'm not sincere."

"Oh... okay," Drake said, for the first time giving him a smile that Remy had rarely seen. And never turned toward himself. He felt his own mouth quirk up at the corners without any conscious thought on his behalf.

Tilting his head lightly to the side, Remy got a grip on himself. "So, you comin'?"

Drake nodded fast. "Just let me run up and get my wallet and jacket and I'm good to go."

"Good, I'll go get de car," Remy said easily. Even if he'd promised himself that he wasn't going to be interested in Drake **that** way, he wouldn't mind forming some kind of friendship with him.

Parking the car in front of the steps to the main entrance, Remy waited for Drake to make his appearance. Waited and wondered why the door stayed closed.

Five minutes went by, then ten. Remy debated with himself whether or not he should go find the other man.

A flicker of movement at the door caught his attention and his day soured considerably as he watched Warren walking down the stairs, heading toward him. Remy rolled the window down, wondering what the blue skinned angel might want from him.

"Bobby changed his mind, sorry," Worthington said lightly, not sounding sorry at all.

"Is dat so?" Remy said, nodding slowly. He had no trouble figuring out who'd helped the guy change his mind. "Well, den I'll be on my way, got me a present to buy."

"You do that," Warren said, unsuccessfully trying to hide a smirk.

Remy rolled the window back up, started the engine again and put the car into gear. Guess that really did answer his questions.

Hitting the main road, Remy turned on the radio and pushed the volume up high. Wasn't like there were any passengers to complain. Wasn't he the fool for thinking he could change his status? Sure, he worked hard within the team these days, trying to regain, if not their trust, then at least their respect for what he could do, his abilities.

Remy shook his head. Guilt and self-pity wouldn't solve all this for him. The only thing would probably be time.

Turning his head to the side, Remy hit the breaks, watching his team-mate rushing past on his icy slide.

Pulling into the side of the road, Remy stopped the engine and took a deep breath before opening the door, meeting a rather upset Drake who changed from his icicle state to human form.

"I thought you said you wanted me along," Drake said as he gestured at the car.

"I did. You changed your mind," Remy replied, defending himself.

"I did **not** ," Drake said with exasperation. "I asked Warren to tell you I'd be out in another five minutes, when I'd located his..." Drake trailed off, then blinked a few times.

Remy shook his head. "He told me dat you'd changed your mind."

Drake's shoulders sagged. "But I..."

Something strangely warm spread in Remy's chest, something he didn't want to put a name to. "You still wan' go?" he asked tentatively.

"Well, I wouldn't have chased you halfway down the road if that weren't the case," Drake said with a small, shy smile.

"I..." Remy searched for the right words. Could he say that he should have known better? That he shouldn't have trusted another teammate to tell him the truth? "He prob'ly t'inks I'm a bad influence on you," he finally said.

Drake snorted, shaking his head. "I think I'm old enough to judge that for myself."

Remy hid a grin. "Well, what are you waitin' for, Drake? Get in de car."

Closing his door and putting his hand on the wheel, Remy was surprised when Drake reached out, nearly touching his arm. "Bobby. I'd rather you called me Bobby than Drake."

Remy swallowed, trying to wet his dry mouth. "And you should call me..." he began.

"Remy, yeah," Bobby said with a wider smile.

Remy finally managed to turn the engine on, pulling the car back onto the road. The ride went mostly in silence, though it was the good kind. The kind that made Remy's blood hum. No matter how much he fought it, he couldn't.

When Remy had found a parking spot at the mall and they'd gone inside, Remy realized just how glad he was for the company. He'd forgotten how much fun it could be to just drift from store to store with someone who wasn't afraid of a rude comment here and there.

"So... what are you getting Ororo?" Bobby asked as he looked over Remy's shoulder at the necklaces. "Bling?"

"Bling?" Remy turned his head and found Bobby a lot closer than he'd expected.

"Well, you know... necklaces, rings," Bobby reeled off.

Remy had to laugh. He could see the spark in Bobby's eyes and knew he was just joking around. "Come on, den. Dere's a smaller shop that specializes in more exotic ...bling," he said with a wink.

Bobby's grin widened. "Can we hit the music store afterwards?" he asked. "Please?"

The innocent face didn't fool Remy one second. "Anyt'ing specific you want?"

"Something for Warren." Bobby pursed his lips and leaned conspiratorially against Remy. "Something loud and obnoxious," he added with a wink.

Bobby pulled back and went to look at something in the window of the next store. Remy took a few deep breaths. What was he getting himself into? Bobby had seemed to be keeping his distance right until they'd been out in the car, heading toward the mall.

Now? He seemed to have lost most of his awareness concerning private spaces, at least when it came to Remy's.

'Friends,' Remy told himself sternly. That was all he was trying to be.

  


* * *

**PART III - Taking a detour**

"You think she'll like it?" Bobby was leaning against the open door to Remy's room.

"She will," Remy promised him.

"I can't **believe** I bought Storm a dress for her birthday," Bobby said with a shake of his head.

Remy grinned. "But you did."

"I know, and it's all your fault," Bobby said with a laugh.

"Come now, we 'ad fun, did we not?" Remy asked with small smile as he pulled his t-shirt on. "Let's go hit de breakfast table, oui?"

"And give Ororo her presents," Bobby said with a nod.

"Ouai," Remy agreed as he grabbed his own present and waited for Bobby to step back so he could close the door.

But Bobby stayed where he was.

Looking a little shy, Bobby looked up at him. "Thanks," he said in a low voice.

"For what?" Remy asked, swallowing dryly.

Bobby shrugged as he took a step back. "For letting me tag along, for treating me as an equal."

Remy frowned. "Equal? Why should I not?"

Bobby looked down at his shoes, running a hand through his hair. "I'm eh... A lot of the others treat me like the kid still."

Remy smiled and gave Bobby's shoulder a light punch. "Dat's 'cause you **are** a kid."

The look Bobby gave him wasn't the one he'd expected. There was a touch of hurt in those blue eyes. "You really think so?" Bobby asked.

Remy pulled his door closed behind him and put his arm over Bobby's shoulder, turning him around to walk along the empty hallway. "I was joking," he said, hiding his worry. He hadn't expected Bobby to react that way to his comment.

Bobby didn't make any move to shrug off Remy's arm, but Remy nevertheless let go of him as they walked down the stairs. There were students about, even this early on a Saturday morning. He didn't want to start any unnecessary rumors.

"You're no child," Remy assured him. "T'ough you've occasionally been..."

Bobby chuckled. "I've always been the prankster. And I'll probably always be the youngest on the team even when I'm not."

Remy nodded. "Yes. Dat's unfortunately how you're perceived."

"But you don't... do you?" Bobby asked, his expression turning serious again.

Remy gave him a small smile. "Non, I'm not unfamiliar wit'... pranks. Don' make me no child eit'er"

"Thanks," Bobby said with a grin. "Means a lot to me."

"W'at are friends for, mon ami?" Remy asked with a wink as they turned toward the door to the kitchen.

"Oh, that's just lovely."

Turning around they found Logan rolling his eyes as he shouldered his way past them.

"Gets me all choked up." The voice was gruff, but Remy just shook his head and exchanged a look with Bobby.

"Well, someone's gotta balance out your bad vibes," Bobby called after him.

"What bad vibes?" Scott asked, looking up from his cup of coffee as they entered.

"Don' worry," Remy told him with smirk. "We're just brightening up de Wolverine's day."

Logan snorted and sat down across from Scott. "Making me puke's more like it."

"Logan, please," Ororo said, shaking her head. "You men are worse than little children sometimes."

Remy laughed and went over to give her a hug and a kiss to the cheek. "Joyeux Anniversaire, ma cherie," he mumbled.

"Yeah, happy birthday from me, too," Bobby said with a wide grin as he kissed the other cheek.

Ororo laughed and put an arm around either of them. "Thank you to the both of you. Now sit down and breakfast will be ready in a moment."

"Merci," Remy said, waving the small wrapped present in front of her. "A pretty gift for a beautiful lady."

Ororo pulled her arm away from him to take the gift. Turning her head she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you very much, Monsieur Lebeau."

"And this is from me," Bobby said, handing her his gift too. "Hope you like it. If not, you can blame Remy's bad influence," he said cheekily.

Remy raised an eyebrow. "Oh, dat's de t'anks I get for 'elping you out?"

"Yeah?" Bobby gave him a fake innocent look.

"Don't overdo it, Robert," Ororo warned him with a wink.

Bobby just grinned and went to sit down at the table. With a shake of his head, Remy followed suit, slipping onto the chair next to him.

"Where is everyone else?" Bobby asked curiously.

"We'll only be a few for breakfast, I'm afraid," Ororo said as she put the gifts down on the table to get the plate with the bread, handing it over to Remy who took a piece and passed it on.

"Trouble?" Remy asked, looking over at Scott, who shook his head.

"I doubt it's going to be much trouble," Scott said lightly. "Cerebro picked up some disturbance down-town, though it didn't seem like anything to worry about."

"Worthington called in a few minutes ago," Logan said from behind the newspaper he'd snatched from Scott. "They can't find anything but they're going to keep looking for another hour or so, then head back if they don't find anything."

"We're just waiting for Hank to show up and we can begin breakfast," Ororo said with a smile.

"Did I hear mention of breakfast and my very own name?" Hank hurriedly crossed from the door to Ororo, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Happy birthday, Beautiful," he grinned. He gave her a small, wrapped box and continued around the table, easily slipping into a seat next to Scott. "I am so very sorry to have been delayed," he said with a wide grin.

"This smells so good," Bobby said, taking a deep breath. "Birthday cake?" he asked hopefully.

Ororo nodded. "For later," she warned him. "First we have breakfast."

"So, you only have us guys for the breakfast party?" Bobby asked as he snatched a piece of bread.

Sitting down, Ororo nodded. "I'm sure everyone will be at the dinner tonight, so let's just enjoy a quiet morning," she said with a wink.

"You should open your presents, my dear," Hank said as he snatched the newspaper from Logan, who glared at him. Hank shook his head and put the paper aside.

"I will," she told him sternly. "And you all eat your breakfast."

"Yes, ma'am," Scott said with a cheeky grin. "And I promised Jean I wouldn't give you the gift from us until she's back," he told Ororo.

"She was quite secretive when they left earlier," Ororo said with a nod. "I do like most surprises."

Bobby shifted in his seat and Remy turned his head to give him a questioning look. Bobby just shrugged and Remy figured he was still worried about the gift. Well, wasn't like Remy had asked him to share the actual gift giving. They weren't giving a gift as a couple. That the gifts would match each other beautifully was something else.

Ororo picked up Hank's gift and unwrapped it, nice and slow. Remy shook his head. "You should just rip it open," he told her. "It's what presents are for."

Narrowing her eyes at him, she suppressed a grin and finally just ripped the paper off, accompanied by Hank's applause.

"Oh my... thank you so much, Hank," Ororo said softly as she looked inside the slim box. "A season ticket for the theatre." Leaning down, she gave his furry cheek a kiss. "I shall enjoy it to the fullest. And perhaps you would care to join me on occasion," she asked with a small smile.

Remy was pretty sure Hank was blushing somewhere under all the blue fur. Exchanging a look with Bobby, he figured he wasn't the only one who thought that.

Hank just grinned and nodded at the other gifts. "Now perhaps you should take Robert's?"

Bobby paled a little, but Remy patted his thigh under the table. "Relax," he muttered. "She'll love it." He quickly removed his hand, feeling the heat tingling across his palm. Looking up he caught Logan's raised eyebrow.

"Oh, Robert!"

Remy turned his head back to look at Ororo, who was holding a long, sleeveless dress up in front of her.

"It's beautiful," she said with a wide smile. "I love the earthy color tones and the green."

"It'll bring out your eyes," Bobby burst out, blushing to the roots of his hair.

The guffaws around the table didn't make it any better.

Remy bit his lower lip and found Bobby's hand under the table and gave it a quick squeeze. "'s true," he said lightly, ignoring Scott laughing so hard he had to dry his eyes. "De green will bring out de blue in your eyes, ma cherie." He loosened his grip on Bobby, but Bobby didn't for one moment relinquish the grip he had on Remy.

"And I love that," Ororo said, pointedly ignoring the laughter. "It's beautiful, Robert, thank you very much." She went around the table and gave him a hug.

Remy saw her eyes widen a little as she noticed their hand entwined, but she didn't say anything. Remy unfortunately knew that she'd corner him about it at some point.

"Now I'll take Remy's," Ororo said, acting as if the sniggers around the table weren't there.

Remy just smiled when her eyes widened as she opened the small jewelry box. "Dey should match de dress," he said calmly.

Ororo held up the necklace and shook her head. "Where **did** you find this?" Her eyes shone as she put the necklace on.

"Dere's dis little place in de mall that specializes in African art and jewelry," Remy said lightly. "Call it a t'ief's eye and intuition for beauty."

"And matching earrings," she said with another shake of her head. "I must say that between you and Bobby I will be dressed to the nines," Ororo laughed. She leaned down and put an arm around them both. "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome," Bobby mumbled, still flushed scarlet.

"Only de best for you, 'Roro," Remy said with a wink.

"You guys been watching Queer eye?" Logan inquired sweetly.

Scott kicked him under the table, but couldn't hide his own grin.

"Some of us simply have taste," Remy said with a wink.

"That's quite enough," Ororo said firmly. "I love these and I do believe I shall wear the entire ensemble tonight and for the next time when Hank will accompany me to the theatre."

The attention was thankfully turned from Bobby and Remy as Hank assured her he would be delighted to do so.

Eventually Remy got his hand back and the talk at the table became more mundane, although Remy wasn't listening much. His thoughts kept circling around the warm hand that had been gripping his. He was glad that Bobby seemed to draw some strength from him, but if he kept it up this way, Remy wasn't sure how he'd be able to handle it.

Did he let Bobby continue to get closer? Or should he put up some boundaries that would keep him in the land of friendship?

What was he getting himself into?

  


* * *

**Part IV - Testing the Ice**

Remy avoided the wall of ice that suddenly materialized in front of him. He twisted his body to control the landing and slid one of his cards down between two fingers.

"You give up, Cajun?" Bobby slid by, laughing as he created his icy slide.

Remy just grinned and charged the card, his aim perfect as it hit the supportive part of the slide that Bobby had just changed the angle of, allowing him to go upward.

"Yikes!" Bobby managed to get a new slide just in time before he hit the wall.

Sweat trickled down Remy's temple and he had to admit Bobby had had a good idea when he'd suggested a dangeroom session. They were to clock a specific amount per week and they were both behind on their hours.

Until now.

It was nicely refreshing to fight another human instead of just the dangeroom robots. Besides, watching Bobby cut loose was a joy. Remy shook himself mentally. Now was **not** the time to get all googly eyed over a team-mate. One who was trying hard to capture him in ice.

With every attack they'd get closer to each other and Remy didn't miss the shine in Bobby's eyes. Sure, he was having fun, but there was something else there too...

The sound of the computer alerting them that their time was up caught Remy unawares in the middle of a jump from one platform to another. Subsequently, he nearly crashed into Bobby who had stopped abruptly and was ending his slide with a flick of the wrist.

A twist of his body and Remy landed elegantly, right next to him.

"Nice session," Bobby said, breathing a little heavily.

Remy tried to ignore it, focusing on getting out of the dangeroom and into the shower.

"Hey, shower's this way," Bobby said outside, stopping as Remy turned right instead of left.

"I'm... gon' use my own," Remy hastily said. Now that they were out of the room, no longer focused on the thrill of the chase, Remy couldn't help but notice how the skin-tight suit clung to Bobby's body, and how drenched the other man was by sweat.

"Oh... okay...," Bobby trailed off. "I'll see you later," he called after Remy.

Remy waved a hand over his shoulder and hurried toward his room upstairs. Stupid body, he thought to himself, stupid for reacting to the scent of sweat, to the vague idea of pushing Bobby up against the nearest wall and....

Oh no, this wasn't something he needed. Bobby was a team-mate, that alone should scare Remy off. Unfortunately his body disagreed and the moment he entered his own room, he couldn't fight the burn in it anymore. With a tired sigh, he knelt on his bed, trying to get his breath under control.

"T'ou shall not desire your friend and team-mate," he muttered to himself. Leaning his head down on the comforter, he managed to calm his breathing. His body still seemed to vibrate with need, but he swallowed hard and got back on his feet. He wasn't going to give in and just jerk off. Not even in the privacy of his own bathroom.

Discarding his suit, he left it on the floor for later and headed for the shower. Pulling the door shut behind him, he turned on the water. Remy avoided looking at his own image in the mirror. He wasn't sure he could handle what he knew he'd see in his own eerie eyes.

"Dis isn't what I want," he muttered as he stepped under the spray, letting it sting his face. His body seemed to thrum in disagreement.

"If you're lucky," he told himself, "Bobby's oblivious and your dirty little secret will stay just dat, a secret."

A sound made him stop for a moment, but then he shook his head. There was nothing there. Just his own pathetic attempt at control.

Remy had no idea for how long he stayed there, forcing his thoughts to things that would work against the lure of Bobby. When he finally felt suitably composed, he stepped out of the shower and wrapping a towel lightly around his waist. He was still hard, but stubbornness kept him from doing anything about it. He wouldn't lose control to his urges... at least not until some time later when he was in bed, nearly asleep...

  


* * *

**PART V - Breaking the Ice**

Completely lost in his own thoughts, Remy turned the light off in the bathroom and closed the door behind him. Looking up, he stopped dead.

"Bobby..."

Looking up, Bobby gave him strange look. He was sitting, still dressed in his uniform, on Remy's bed.

"I... don't get me wrong, but..." Bobby gestured, obviously looking for the right words.

Remy felt more naked and vulnerable than ever, far too aware of the fact just how low slung his towel was and how his skin was coated in tiny droplets of water.

"I know you flirt as easily as you breathe," Bobby tried again, frowning and shaking his head. "I'm not doing this right," he complained with annoyance.

Remy held his tongue, keeping his distance. He wasn't sure what it was that Bobby was trying to say, or at least, he wasn't going to let himself jump to any conclusions about it.

"Are you...," Bobby said, getting to his feet and hovering next to the bed. "I mean...."

Oh, Remy could see where it was heading. "Bobby," he said, shaking his head.

Bobby took a few steps forward, then stopped right in front of Remy. He lifted one hand, left it hovering barely an inch from Remy's naked chest. "I don't even know if you're wired that way," Bobby whispered, leaning forward, his body radiating tension.

Remy took a deep breath and regretted it as his nose filled with the scent of sweat and something that was uniquely Bobby. "I'm wired alright," he muttered before he could stop himself.

"And for me?" Bobby's voice faltered. "Do you...."

Lifting his hand, Remy put a finger to his own lips. "Very much so," he whispered. There, it was said.

Bobby seemed to shake and for a moment, Remy wasn't sure what to do. Then he put his hands on Bobby's shoulders, drawing him into a hug. "It's okay," he whispered, hoping he was telling the truth.

"I wasn't sure," Bobby mumbled against his neck, the warm breath sending shivers down Remy's spine.

Surprisingly warm hands barely flittered down over Remy's shoulders and back, and he realized that his fight for self-control had failed utterly.

"Are you cold?" Bobby asked in whisper, still running his hands all over Remy's back.

"Non... why?" Remy managed to ask as his body sang with every single touch.

"You're shaking," Bobby whispered.

"Was tryin' to control myself," Remy admitted, finally holding Bobby tighter, resting his head on Bobby's shoulder. "Didn' want to put you in a position dat could damage any friendships."

"I would consider you a good friend even if I weren't interested," Bobby chuckled, his body shaking a little under Remy's hands.

"I was referring to other friendships as well," Remy admitted.

"If you're talking about Warren, he already knows I like guys too," Bobby snickered.

An image hit Remy's mind and he blinked hard to get rid of it. "Don' tell me you hit on him?" he muttered.

"What?! No!" Bobby laughed against his neck. "If anything, he'll be pissed it's **you** , you know?"

"Oh, joy," Remy muttered darkly.

"Look," Bobby said, pulling back a little. "If you really mean that you want me..." he trailed off, looking a little uncertain.

"I do," Remy admitted without hesitation.

The smile on Bobby's face told him he'd done really well. Remy realized that he didn't really care what Worthington would say to it. Bobby had been on the team for so long that he could get away with this and Remy could only hope it wouldn't put too many cracks in any friendships.

"Stop thinking such dark thoughts," Bobby mumbled, leaning in so his mouth was close to Remy's. With a soft sigh, Bobby leaned in all the way, pressing their lips together.

It was a surprisingly sweet kiss, nothing like Remy was used to. When Bobby pulled back a little, Remy followed, letting his tongue lick along the seam of Bobby's lips.

Bobby made a pleased noise deep in his throat, his lips parting. The warm tongue that slid against Remy's was nowhere as innocent as its owner could seem at times.

An illusion. The wholesome, clean-cut image of the blonde, blue-eyed guy with the goofy smile... It didn't exist at that moment.

Remy felt Bobby's hands slide down his sides, through the thin layer of water still clinging to his skin. Strong fingers gripped at his hips for a moment, then he felt the towel unravel and slide to the floor.

Their mouths parted and Remy let his head fall back with a sigh. Bobby took it as an open invitation to mouth his way wetly down the side of Remy's neck, along his shoulder and back again.

Letting his hand glide up along Bobby's skin-tight suit, Remy found the hidden zipper and slid it down, finally able to touch skin. Damp skin, sweaty skin, skin he wanted so badly to taste.

"Bobby..." Remy didn't even recognize his own broken voice.

"Shhhhhhh," Bobby hushed as he helped peel down the suit. "Go with the flow, Remy."

"Yeah," Remy agreed, "flowin' fine 'ere," he muttered. Then he recaptured Bobby's mouth, this time bypassing sweet and going directly for hot and heavy.

"Oh, God," Bobby groaned against his lips. "If I'd know you'd kiss like this, I'd have dragged you back to my room ages ago."

"Non, you wouldn't," Remy said with a grin as he pushed Bobby back toward the bed. He wasn't going to try to convince Bobby that this was a stupid idea. **He'd** be the stupid one for trying. "You're far too sweet to just drag someone away."

"Is that so?" Bobby growled and twisted them around, forcing Remy down on his back on the bed.

Remy laughed and felt something loosening inside him. "It is."

"I'll show you sweet," Bobby said, sliding up to sit across Remy's lap. Remy groaned as he felt his cock slide up against Bobby's cleft, the heat nearly unbearable. The friction nearly drove him mad as Bobby deliberately shifted his hips.

Remy sighed and reached up, hooking one hand behind Bobby's neck. "Come on down 'ere," he muttered as he pulled.

Bobby's body shook for a moment, then he seemed to flow down on top of Remy. A few false starts and they managed to get comfortable. Remy slid his hands down until he could cup Bobby's ass, feeling the muscles flex at his touch.

Remy arched invitingly upward, feeling how Bobby pressed back down on top of him. The slide of his own cock against the hollow of Bobby's hip and Bobby's against his... Remy grinned. Oh, he could make this even better.

Stretching, he managed to get the drawer open, while Bobby took his time, proving he could kiss just as dirty as Remy. Remy was pretty impressed with his enthusiasm.

"'ang on," Remy muttered when Bobby pulled back from their kiss. "Got a little somet'in' dat'll make dis a wee bit more fun." Urging Bobby to lift his hips, he uncapped the bottle. "Tell me you've done dis before," Remy whispered.

"Never been with a guy..." Bobby admitted. "Thought about it though." Bobby moved his head up to look down at Remy. "Is that okay?"

Remy closed his eyes for a moment, changing gears. Coating first his own erection, then thoroughly doing the same with Bobby's, Remy smiled at Bobby's harsh breathing. "'s gon' be good, je te promets." Then he guided Bobby back down like they'd been a moment earlier.

"Oh..." Bobby breathed into his ear, having let his head fall against Remy's shoulder. "Oh, this is... good."

Remy put his hands back on Bobby's ass and urged him to move. Judging from the muttered words, Bobby was enjoying himself.

So was Remy. Closing his eyes, he let his body take over, pushed any sentient thought to the back of his head and just let himself feel it all. Bobby's body was warm and heavy on top of him, the slick slide of skin against his erection and the hungry kisses -- it was everything he'd longed for.

"S'il te plaît pas arrêter," Remy whispered against Bobby's mouth.

Bobby didn't say anything, just breathed more shallowly and pushed down harder. The rhythm went from stable to erratic and Remy found Bobby's mouth, slipping his tongue suggestively in and out with the same maddening non-rhythm.

Bobby planted his elbows on either side of Remy's shoulders and buried his fingers in Remy's hair, trying to eat him alive. The slippery slide became wilder and suddenly Bobby's body shook with its release. Wet heat spread between them and Remy felt his own control give, moaning into Bobby's mouth.

They lay panting for breath for what felt like ages until Remy eventually managed to find enough non-buzzed brain cells to tug the comforter out from under them to cover them both.

"Oh wow," Bobby mumbled against his neck.

Remy grinned to himself and rolled Bobby to the side before curling up against him.

"Can we do that again sometime soon?" Bobby asked sleepily.

"Ouai," Remy agreed sleepily. "Stay right 'ere and we'll have more fun later," he promised with a cheeky grin.

"Right 'ere?" Bobby asked with a laugh.

Remy didn't answer, but settled for tickling Bobby who squirmed nicely against him.

Their chuckles subsided and Remy drifted off to sleep, for once not alone. He could ask himself how he'd managed to get himself into this situation, if he'd used up all his luck now, if...

Soft warm lips found his as Bobby nuzzled his way into a sleepy kiss. "Go to sleep," he mumbled. "You'll need your strength."

Remy just smiled into the kiss. "D'accord," he muttered before, for once, doing as he was told without any comment at all.

The End


End file.
